Daytime running lights

I have been noticing recently that more and more drivers are not turning out their full lighting systems during the dawn to dusk period of the day. They are turning on their parking lights, and dashboard lights; but not turning on their rear lights.

This means that they can see the road and their dashboard, but I can't see them from behind. And so a few times I have been surprised by their car just appearing in front of me. Why are they not turning on their rear lights?

 There are some drivers who after you find them and flash your high beams will turn on their rear lights, but most just drive on.

I wish that so much of a car was more automatic, and more out of the control of the person driving it. Here are some ideas for automakers:

• Cell phones should be disabled while the car is in motion. 
• Black boxes should be in every car and truck - easy access for cops after an accident to find fault. and should record everything fro speed, signals, lights, if a cell phone was touched or used. 
• booster seats for those less than 5 feet 5 inches tall.
• snow tires for November through till may

Here is another idea for our government to start doing.

Every driver should have to take a written test every 5 years. - Driving is NOT A RIGHT, but a privilege!
Professional Driver already have to take a test every 5 years... why not force every driver to?

This will create jobs and help to ensure that drivers are keeping up with the new and old rules of the road. That we as drivers are dependent on those around us to make to where we are going safely.

I really want to come home each day safely. But more and more people are making that a HUGE challenge.

My sister's cross country trip

My sister, after 6 years of living in Calgary, Alberta has come to a close and now she is packed up and driving home to Toronto, Ontario.

First off, I am not a fan of my sister driving alone home, even with two dogs in the back seat. I was really hoping that she would have asked my Mom to come with her, but my sister has her own mind, and well that's it.

So needless to say we are tracking her progress and praying that she comes home safe with no horror stories. I am sure that she is prepared for the trip and has done all she can to avoid the auto related disasters, but still the family worries.

There is a huge difference between how I would make the trip as a man in a commercial truck. I would have taken 3 days to drive the 3,500 kilometers. She is taking 7 days and going through the USA and making stops along the way as she and the dogs seem fit. But she doesn't really drive that far and that long like I have gotten used to, and well that's good.

Pray for safety, pray for endurance, and pray for wisdom as she drives.

My Uncle's story

I meet my Uncle at a funeral service this past weekend for another Uncle. He knows I am a professional driver and he asked me a question:

Can the driver of a Freight liner Columbia see me over his grill? My uncle was driving a 2door Hyundai.

Seems that they were stopped at a traffic light.  The trucker stopped too close and my Uncle's car vanished. The trucker was aware of my uncle's car, but again was too close and when the trucker looked up and saw the light was green let off the gas and the automatic truck moved forward enough to "kiss" my uncle's bumper.

Yes, the trucker was at fault, my uncle is safe and his bumper has some marks on it; but its cosmetic damage and he and the car will be Ok. The truck was not injured. The trucker was embarrassed and very sorry about what he did.

This story helps to underline that a truck has a very limited field of vision. So here are some rules of thumb.

1. If you don't see the driver in the mirror from behind, he can't see you.
2. If you don't see the driver through the windshield he can't see you.
3. If a trucker has their signals on and needs to come into your lane, either pass him or flash your lights to tell him that its OK to come into your lane.
4. Give trucks lots of space to move. They really don't want to come into contact with you or your car.
5. Truck don't have crumple zones like your car does. Trucks are covered with a very thin skin which only helps move the air around the truck and decrease fuel consumption.
6. Never pick a battle with a truck. You will lose.

Be safe, and give trucks lot of room.

Observations while driving in Toronto & The GTA.

After driving this streets and highways in and around the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) which is Niagara, London, Barrie, Kingston region of Southern Ontario I have some news on what I have seen these past ten years.

1. Passing on 400 series of highways is always done on the RIGHT hand lane. The left hand lane is reserved for those who are self described "I am too important to share the road or am too busy to think about how my driving skills are lacking."

2. There is zero difference between a person using a cellphone and a drunk while driving. These drivers don't signal, don't keep their speed or lane, don't see other drivers, and do cause accidents. Using a cell phone even hands free is not safe. Turn the cell off. Also you can't txt while stopped at a red light its still a ticket. The only time you can be texting while in the car is either while parked off the road, or while a passenger.

3.  Drivers enjoy the thrill and challenge of going from the far left lane into the off ramp at the last possible second while causes everybody behind them to slam on the brakes and cause a possible crash.

4. Fender benders block lanes. If you bump into another car then just pull over into the curb lane and then swap insurance etc. Stop blocking the live lane and causing a more dangerous situation. In some states its illegal to block a live lane if the cars involved can be driven off the road.

5. Trucks and other heavy equipment is NOT the cause of how slow the traffic is going. Truckers want to go as fast as possible in a safest possible way. We are professionals and though we all have our bad days, we are out here in traffic more than you are.

6.Speed limiters on Truck only causes more slow moving traffic and blocked lanes. Our provincial governments. Decided to limit trucks to 105kph. None of those politicians were or have ever driven a truck before. The end result is that trucks in an effort to pass other slower moving trucks are blocking our roads and making all traffic move slower. This might be a good result as speed kills.

7. Driver testing: All G class drivers once they have passed their final test are not tested again till they are 80. This needs to change. Did you know that all professional drivers Class A-F are tested every 5 years? These driver need to pass written and practical tests to keep their licence. We should start to pressure the government to force G class drivers to at least take a written test every 5 years. How often have you come to a set of lights and been confused about the signals? Do you really know what that sign means? Do you know how to safely navigate a "round a bout"?

There is so much a driver needs to learn and keep learning about the roads they are driving. Driving is VERY dangerous. Its a contact sport where we try not to hit each other, but when we do we can kill each other.

Driving is not for the faint of heart, the overly cautious or overly confident. Every day I am reminded how dangerous my job is.

I really can't see you!

I guess with the nights becoming longer and there is more darkness in our work days, I have been noticing or rather not seeing people on/in/by the road as I drive around Toronto and Area. People wearing the tradition BLACK clothing walking where cars even with their headlights on can't see you...

Why Oh Why are you hiding and trying to kill yourself?

People don't seem to understand that dressing in BLACK or dark colours makes you very hard to see at night and in the glare of wet roads?

Can you see the bike?
This is the view from my Truck's window. The biker was riding beside me and pulled up to the car in front of me. There is nothing reflective on his bike. I could barely see him.

Cars and trucks have LIGHTS so that they can been seen.... Bikes are required to have the same during night riding... by law he should get a ticket.

The worst is I could have bumped into him and killed him.... I could not see him until it was too late.

The gov.uk.com site had a great idea.... riders must wear reflective clothing while on the road.

People walking should also ALWAYS wear something reflective when outside.... I really do want to see you.

Yet this evening as I was driving around, I saw about 2 people wearing reflective vests.... so there is hope.

May the Fourth Be with you?

Yes every May 4 is Star Wars day for its fans. We are only looking to celebrate and fun with Star Wars, no Star Trek etc. Yes,  I did remember the day and had some fun with it. But I stopped short of watching one of the movies since well, I just don't have to kind of time during a work day.

Giving out parking tickets???

So this past week I was getting more and more annoyed with 4-wheelers who parked in and around loading zones which would make it impossible for me to get loaded and unloaded at the shippers .... So I found online a site which you can get funny tickets to use for jokes... The ones I found were very insulting and nasty. I didn't want to be that mean. So I made my own tickets up and had them printed on neon orange paper at the local copy shop.

Friday I used 6 'tickets'. Four at a grocery store downtown Toronto. This store has a very narrow ramp for the trucks to back down to get unloaded. At the street level there is just enough space to back the truck into and open the rear doors before backing down the ramp. The truck and the ramp are very visible to the car passing that area. The problem is that there looks to be enough space for the truck to get out from the vantage place of the 4-wheelers who decide that they can park in the loading zone... marked by paint and sign age on the wall that its a loading zone and they can be ticketed for parking there. Yet people park there. Its not very close to the store entrance.

So of course while I was trying to back off the street and into the Loading Zone. two cars tried to park in the spot where I needed to go. I just pulled the horn and starting to back up. They moved away. once in the dock I walked back up and told two other cars that it was a loading zone and to find parking in back (which is closer to the store than the parking in front) they moved. I had grabbed a bunch of 'tickets' from the truck knowing that I would have to use them when I was trying to leave. After unloaded for all of 10min. I found three new cars parked in the loading zone. I walked up to each and made a show of witting the 'ticket' and then placing it under the wiper. By the third ticket was being issued. A lady with bags of food came running up to me and starting to plead with me about the ticket. She has no clue that its only the city parking authority who can give out tickets. She was freaking about another ticket which she could not afford.

I took pity on her, and told her that it was a joke ticket and that it is how I vent when people block trucks and myself from working.

What a great laugh!

police on their cell phone

Howdy,

Just wondering if anybody else has seen a cop on their cell phone while driving? I see it far too often on the roads, esp in Toronto, Ontario. I am concerned that their might be a double-standard when it comes to the anti-cell phone laws. I don't understand that with their union that they can't find a way to have a hands-free device mandatory on their cars.

Should I report their usage to the police? Of would cops policing cops be a bad idea?